I got this in a pyramid bag as a sample with my Lupicia order and I brought it to work, on the theory that I might actually get to have some decent tea this way before I figure out how best to support a loose leaf habit at work.

This is the first time I’ve tasted anything by Lupicia, and I’m going to try to keep an open mind in case this is disappointing, given the lack of control over water quality and temperature at work.

The bag smells terrific. Very caramelly, not bitter despite its description. The tea smells toasty, but caramel is the main scent.

My steeping here is going to be full of unknowns because I don’t have a thermometer to measure water temperature with me, but here goes.

I steeped for approximately 4 minutes (I think), maybe more like 3. The aroma is mostly of caramel, and it isn’t bitter smelling at all.

My sense is that the water I used wasn’t good quality and hot enough to bring out the true flavor of this tea. It’s ok. I can taste caramel, and it’s not bitter. It’s not sweet either as best I can tell, but mostly the flavor isn’t very strong at all. I can taste the tea in the aftertaste, and it’s smooth and sweet. I just wish there was more of it. A lot more.

I wish I had more of this so I could give it another shot under more controlled conditions. Then again, these days I’m mostly drinking tea bags at work, so these conditions are more representative for how a bagged tea would taste to me than controlled ones at home would be.

Preparation

That is almost exactly how I felt about Golden Moon Caramel Oolong – smelled great in the bag… not so caramelly in the mug, and then not enough tea to try again under other circumstances. You need at least 2 cups worth in a sample to give it a fair shake.

Do you ever get the feeling that some of the pyramid bags (and other bags) just do not have enough dry leaf in them? Sometimes when I am using a bag of whatever quality I feel that I can use only 2 or 4 ounces of water maximum.

That may have been part of the problem, though I wasn’t using a very large mug and I didn’t fill it the entire way. I did notice that these bags seemed to have less in them than the Tazo full leaf sachets that are made out of a similar material.

Lupicia teabags typically weigh around 3g (yeah, I weight them (curiosity requires me to)… I know, I’m a nerd.) Anyway, they tend to be better than a lot of other companies weight-wise but I still think they suggest something like a 6oz cup.

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That is almost exactly how I felt about Golden Moon Caramel Oolong – smelled great in the bag… not so caramelly in the mug, and then not enough tea to try again under other circumstances. You need at least 2 cups worth in a sample to give it a fair shake.

Do you ever get the feeling that some of the pyramid bags (and other bags) just do not have enough dry leaf in them? Sometimes when I am using a bag of whatever quality I feel that I can use only 2 or 4 ounces of water maximum.

That may have been part of the problem, though I wasn’t using a very large mug and I didn’t fill it the entire way. I did notice that these bags seemed to have less in them than the Tazo full leaf sachets that are made out of a similar material.

Lupicia teabags typically weigh around 3g (yeah, I weight them (curiosity requires me to)… I know, I’m a nerd.) Anyway, they tend to be better than a lot of other companies weight-wise but I still think they suggest something like a 6oz cup.

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Bio

I’ve updated this bio as it’s been a couple of years since I “started getting into” tea. It’s now more accurate to say that I was obsessed with tea for a while, then other things intruded, then I cycled back to it, and I seem to be continuing that in for a while, out for a while cycle. I have a short attention span, but no shortage of tea.

Personal biases: I much prefer to drink tea without additives such as milk and sugar. If a tea needs additives to improve its flavor, its unlikely I’m going to rate it high. The exception is chai, which I make on the stove top using a recipe I found here on Steepster. Rooibos and honeybush were my gateway drugs into the harder stuff, but once I learned how to make a decent cup of tea they became far less appealing to me. That said, I’m not entirely a purist, and I enjoy a good flavored tea, particularly flavored blacks.

I like all kinds of tea depending on time of day, mood, and the amount of time I have to pay attention to preparation.

Since I find others’ rating legends helpful, I added my own. I’m revising them slightly to make them less granular as I don’t really find myself hating most things I try.

I try to rate teas against other similar versions. So I rate Earl Greys, for example, against other Earl Greys, rather than against all teas. If something rates very high with me, though, it probably means it’s a stand out against all other teas I’ve tried.

95-100 A once in a lifetime experience; the best there is; will keep this stocked until the cows come home

90-94 First rate; top notch; really terrific; will definitely buy more

80-89 Excellent; likely to become a favorite, will likely buy more

70-79 Very good; would enjoy again, might buy again if in the mood for this particular one or a better, similar version not available